Stop the World, I Wanna Get Off!
by Lovely Belle
Summary: Haruhi consciously slowed down as she reached the dining room, all she really wanted to do was go in there and throw herself on her husband, screaming the happy news...  HaruhixKyoya
1. Chapter 1

Hey! So, I know I have two other stories, in different fandoms that need finishing, but I wrote this for my new years blog, and felt like it needed to be posted here as well.

Characters may be slightly out of character, but bear with me, I tried my best to at least keep personalities intact.

I don't own any of this, so.. yeah.

Enjoy!

* * *

Haruhi woke with a smile on her face. She always did, it was hard not to be happy waking up in this room. Their bedroom. Kyoya let her decorate it when they first moved in, so it was different from the rest of the house. The sun shone in through lace curtains and tossed dappled shadows on the barely yellow walls. The white furniture was more country then modern, making the room a little softer then, say, the dining room. Haruhi couldn't help but be completely happy with how her life had turned out. She rolled over, and was greeted with a note, left on her husband's pillow

"Come down to breakfast" She giggled. Kyoya's handwriting was terrible. It was to be expected, he was a doctor, and a guy, but he tried so hard to make his writing as neat as her own. Haruhi could feel her grin getting bigger. They'd been married for a while now, yet he never failed to leave her a note if he was up before she opened her eyes.

But it wasn't breakfast that got Haruhi out of bed that morning. As soon as she pictured breakfast, a tidal wave of nausea crashed down upon her, sending her racing towards the bathroom, again.

"You're up later then usual."Kyoya commented, pouring a fresh cup of coffee for the both of them. Haruhi hesitated in the doorway. Should she tell him she was sick? She didn't feel sick, at least, not any more, but she definitely wasn't hungry, and Kyoya would notice if she didn't eat.

"Good morning to you too." She said jokingly, taking her seat at Kyoya's right, and picking up the warm cup. "Sleep well?"Kyoya nodded.

"You didn't though. Is everything alright?" Haruhi was always surprised at how observant her husband was, She wasn't even sure she had bad night. Haruhi forced herself to finish the sip of coffee, lest she spit it all over the table in a fashion completely unbefitting that of an Ootori wife.

"I-I'm fine." She answered shakily, avoiding looking at Kyoya. He could always tell when she was lying.

"All right then."Kyoya said, after a moment. "I'll be working late tonight, so I wouldn't be hurt if you don't wait up for me." Haruhi nodded, standing as he did, not really interested in breakfast anymore. They walked to the front door in amicable silence, Haruhi's smaller hand clasped in Kyoya's larger one. He opened the door to the garage and turned to Haruhi.

"See you tonight." She smiled, tiptoeing up to kiss him goodbye.

Haruhi watched Kyoya from the doorway as he walked across the garage to the car that was waiting to take him to work. They exchanged waves and Haruhi waited until the rolling door shut behind the car before she closed the door and went back up to her room to change for the day.

* * *

Haruhi opened the wardrobe, in her walk in closet. It was the one part of the house she couldn't get used to if she tried. Even having an elevator in the hall didn't bother her as much as this room, the size of her old apartment, that was dedicated solely to clothes. After living out of six drawers for her entire life, it didn't sit right,

She rifled through the racks of dresses idly, nothing in the entire room catching her attention. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Kyoya's rack of 'casual clothes' was calling to her like a siren, but she ignored it as best as she could. Her days of cross dressing were far behind her. But ten minutes and six outfits later, they still held the same charm.

Haruhi ended up in a giant white button up that nearly dwarfed her, and a pair of her own jeans, with a belt to take in the excess shirt.

She cast about for something to do after she hung up the rejected items of clothing in the closet. She seemed to run into this problem a lot. Since she only worked part time (that was all she could get as a just-graduated law student) there were too many hours in the day that needed filling, and too little to fill them with.

Fortunately, the ringing of a telephone interrupted her musings.

"Mrs. Ootori, a Kaoru Hitachiin is on the phone for you." Haruhi practically bowled the poor maid over in her eagerness to talk to her friend.

"Hello Kaoru." She greeted cheerfully, tucking the phone under one ear as she shut the closet door.

"Hey Haruhi, are you home right now? Wanna go do something?"

"Sure!" She could feel herself light up at the idea of something to do.

"Awesome, I'm, uh, outside the gate. Your guard won't let me in, says he doesn't recognize the car." Haruhi giggled at Kaoru's predicament. She understood the need for security, but it was too funny when it backfired.

"I'll be right out, don't worry." She said, grabbing the bag she had taken out the night before as she hung up the phone. Kaoru would have a fit, it definitely didn't match, but she didn't want to have to pack a new one and keep him waiting.

* * *

It wasn't too far from the house to the main gate, surely you couldn't see the building from the street, but for some reason, Haruhi found herself unusually winded when she made it to the car.

"I can understand why they wouldn't let you in." Haruhi said, hopping into the bright green convertible. "Nobody reputable drives this sort of car." She joked, giving Kaoru an awkward, one armed hug. He returned the hug with a kiss on the cheek, before speeding off in the direction of town. The two friends were blissfully unaware of the rumor mill that was just starting up.

"So, where are we going?" Haruhi asked, as they sped down the street.

"Sheesh, demanding woman. Not even a real hello, or 'how was Milan, Kaoru?'" He was joking, of course, and Haruhi laughed aloud, before turning to him with the girliest, most un Haruhi like expression on her face.

"Oh, Kaoru, you simply must tell me all about you're fabulous doings in Milan darling." They both burst into laughter at her simpering. Haruhi didn't simper.

"Kaoru." Her tone changed suddenly, "Kaoru, pull over, now."

"Haruhi, are you okay?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"Now! Kaoru!" Kaoru looked around, easily pulling over to the side of the road. Haruhi had the door open, and was out of the car before the lime green monstrosity had even properly stopped.

"Haruhi!" Kaoru put the car in park, and raced to his friend. Haruhi was on her hands and knees, quietly vomiting her meager breakfast. Kaoru fumbled around his pockets, looking for a tissue, or a handkerchief, something he could offer her so she could clean up, finally finding a square of material in his back pocket.

"Here, Haruhi." He offered, once she was done.

"Thanks." She took the offered material, and wiped her mouth.

"Are you sick? Should I take you home?" He panicked, but Haruhi's calm demeanor helped him relax, if only for a moment.

"I'm not sick Kaoru. Let's just keep going, okay? That is, if you don't mind."

"Are you sure? We could at least call Kyoya." Kaoru suggested, already pulling his cellphone out.

"No, it's fine. I'm fine. We don't need to worry anyone about something so silly." Haruhi said. Her tone was light but her meaning was firm, and Kaoru knew that was the last they'd be saying on the matter.

The day seemed to go by in a whirlwind, though the pair did surprisingly little. Kaoru was still a little leery of Haruhi's condition so the two stayed in at the Hitachiin house. Haruhi looked over the newest line, able to appreciate all the pretty clothes, even if she'd never wear them.

"You designed all these?" She asked in awe, fingering a more ornate evening gown.

"Yup, They're great, aren't they? But you should see the ones Hikaru created." He trailed off, but the admiration Kaoru still held for his brother was evident.

"Actually that one was designed for you, specifically." Kaoru added as an after thought, before turning red. "And it was supposed to be a surprise."

"That's okay. I can keep a secret." Haruhi said, giggling and dropping the dress back on the rack.

They ended up doing a movie marathon in the home theater.

"Haruhi, it's kind of late, do you want me to take you home, or?" Kaoru trailed off, seeing that his friend was already mostly asleep.

"Where's phone?" She murmured, not opening her eyes, "I'll call." Kaoru picked up the cell phone, and handed it to her. Her eyes opened just as much as they needed to to dial.

"'Yoya? 'M staying here tonight. See you tomorrow." Her words were almost unintelligible, and Kaoru would have laughed if he weren't being careful not to wake her up. The phone slipped from Haruhi's fingers as she fell asleep again, and hit the floor.

Kaoru slipped an arm under her shoulders and knees and carried her down the hall to the nearest bed room.

Kyoya unlocked his front door and stepped into the dark entryway before shutting it, and hitting the three separate deadbolts. Despite all the fancy electronic security devices they had, the deadbolts made him feel the safest.

He sighed, shuffling through the dark halls. He had expected the house to be dark, it was, after all, nearly two a.m., but he hated coming home to a dark house.

"Haruhi?" He asked quietly, stepping into their bedroom. There was no answer, so he slipped into the closet and changed into pajamas quickly, his head nodding with sleep as he did.

He didn't even notice anything amiss until he slid between the sheets, and realized he was alone.

* * *

Before we get into the review-whoring, I would like to share this video with all of you, youtube. com/ watch?v=OLuNiBHpjiw

It's pretty gorgeous.

So anyways, What do you think? should I put up the rest of the story?

Let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, so the same, standard disclaimer applies.

People are out of character, I realize that. Just roll with it, please.

* * *

Kyoya was quick to spring into action at this realization. He rang for the on staff guard, and pulled out his cell phone, because if Haruhi was actually missing, someone was going to pay.

"Yes Sir?" The night guard asked, standing in the doorway of the master suite.

"Why is my wife gone?" Kyoya asked, tensely gripping his phone in one hand, and keeping the other in a tight fist. The guard shifted his weight, looking down before replying, "I'm not quite sure sir."

"Is it not your job to make sure that everyone under my roof is accounted for?" Kyoya's voice was deathly quiet, the calm before the storm, so to speak.

"Well, sir." The guard sighed. He didn't want to tell his boss about the ugly rumors that had circled the mansion all afternoon, but it seemed like this would be the only way to keep his job.

"Mrs. Ootori was seen leaving the house with her gentleman lover." Kyoya felt like someone had struck him in the chest. He was cold, and goosebumps popped up on his arms. A lover? Haruhi had a lover? The words seemed strange, like trying to fit un-matching puzzle pieces together, the resulting picture being unrecognizable. She couldn't. She was married to him, after all, and nothing had seemed out of place before. Haruhi couldn't be cheating on him, could she?

He pushed the thought aside, though the insecurity and doubt still lingered, just below the surface of his consciousness. That would be absurd. This in Haruhi he was thinking of, the girl wasn't capable of anything close to that. His phone beeped, a shrill, annoying alarm, letting him know he had a message and, thankfully, getting him out of his head.

Kyoya almost collapsed with relief when he heard Haruhi's voice through the speaker. She sounded so tired as she informed him she was 'staying here.' Though he didn't know where 'here' was, he was comforted by the fact that wherever she was, she would be able to contact him.

That was, until he reached the end of the recording, where he could hear a man's muffled laughter, and something that sounded like 'you're so cute.' The comforted feeling, the feeling that she was safe, all of it disappeared with that one comment.

Maybe what everyone was saying was true. He didn't want to believe it, but the evidence seemed to be laid out clearly in front of him. Haruhi was having an affair.

* * *

The lady in question woke up, very confused, in a room she didn't seem to remember ever seeing before, though it seemed very familiar.

She knew two things for sure. One, this was definitely not her house, and two, when she got home, Kyoya was going to flip. Realizing that she had left Kyoya with no way to know where she was, Haruhi panicked, and sat up with a start. She hopped out of bed, fighting waves of nausea as she ran out the hall to look for someone that could help her find out where she was, and how to get home.

As Haruhi ran through the halls, slowly waking up, she began to remember what happened the night before. How she had been hanging out with Kaoru, the movies, the phone call. Well, at least Kyoya knew where she was.

"Haruhi? What are you doing up so early?" Haruhi turned on her heel to see Kaoru, the friend in question, at the end of the hall.

"I always get up this early." Haruhi said, smiling sheepishly.

"Well, why don't you come down to breakfast?" Kaoru asked, waving her down the hallway. Haruhi followed him to the kitchen, where the smell of soup and fish assaulted her nose. Suddenly, she couldn't fight back the nausea anymore. She ran to the nearest sink, and emptied her stomach into it.

"Haruhi, this isn't-" Kaoru began, and Haruhi could tell he was concerned for her, but she cut him off.

"it's fine, I'm fine." She said, determinedly grabbing a bowl of rice off the counter and eating it faster then was healthy.

"You're not. You're throwing up more then a teenager in college. I'm taking you home, so Kyoya can take you to a doctor." Kaoru said, taking the bowl from Haruhi and hoisting her to her feet.

"Get your bag. I'll get the car."

"Wait, Kaoru, no." Haruhi pleaded. "I don't want to worry Kyoya, don't you have a doctor here, that's not connected to Ootori Enterprises that I can see?" Haruhi only asked, because she knew that she had her own doctor at home, and the part of her that was used to the wealthy lifestyle expected the Hitachiin household to have one too.

Kaoru looked her up and down, before nodding.

"Go back to your room, I'll send a doctor in." He saw her eyes light in victory before she turned to find her way back to the room she slept in.

"One condition, Haruhi." Kaoru called out, stopping her at the door. "If it's serious, I will tell Kyoya, weather you want me to, or not." Haruhi nodded, happy he had given in to her request.

"Miss Fujioka?" The doctor asked, entering the room with her test results. "Ah-"

"I'm fine, right? You can tell Kaoru nothing's wrong with me." Haruhi said, a bit ill-tempered, as she glared at the redhead man that wouldn't leave her alone.

"Actually, well." The doctor began, nervously trying to phrase what he wanted to say in a way that was the least shocking he could come up with. "Well, there's nothing wrong with you per say," He sighed, "Miss Fujioka, you're two months pregnant, congratulations?" He finally managed to squeak out, before beating a hasty retreat.

The former classmates sat in a stunned silence. Haruhi was pregnant?

"Kaoru," Kaoru looked down, tentatively at his former classmate, ready to face her wrath. Instead, he found her staring down in amazement at her stomach. "There's a baby in there." She was already glowing, It was that happiest Kaoru thought he'd ever seen her.

"Hey," He said, breaking Haruhi out of her reverie. "You can tell Kyoya this one, alright?" Kaoru didn't think it was possible for her to look any happier, but she seemed to brighten even more at the mention of telling her husband.

"Kyoya! Kyoya needs to know, now. Take me home so I can tell him!" Kaoru laughed at her excitement as she practically dragged him down the hallway.

The car ride back home was silent, though Haruhi looked like she was about to burst with anticipation. She had her hands on the door handle when they pulled up to the gate, and she was about to fly down the driveway to the house, when Kaoru stopped her.

"Haruhi, can you not tell anyone I'm back yet? It's kind of, going to be a surprise. Think of it as a secret trade." He winked at her, and Haruhi threw her arms around his neck, before saying goodbye.

Once she was out of the car, she did practically fly down the drive, long as it was. She didn't even stop until she reached the door. Haruhi took a deep breath, readying herself to go in there, and change the lives of the entire Ootori family forever.

* * *

So, you know, same thing. Let me know if you want the next chapter.

xoxo

Belle


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, this story is so much more well received then I expected. Thank you all for reading it!

I don't own anything. (I don't know why we're supposed to say that, if we're writing here we obviously don't own it...)

* * *

The door swung open to an unnaturally quiet house. Haruhi checked the hall clock nervously, The house was never this quiet at noon on a weekday. Usually the staff would be milling about, and at this hour, Kyoya might have a client over for lunch. But the halls were deserted, she felt like a bean rattling around the bottom of a barrel.

Then she heard thumping coming from the dining room, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't completely alone.

Kyoya had actually gone to work that morning, He wasn't one to waste time, moping about. At least, that's what he told himself. In reality, he couldn't bear to be in the house with so many reminders taunting him, alerting him to what he hadn't been able to see.

The staff hadn't been very helpful either, whenever he entered a room, the telltale hush of abruptly ended gossip fell over whoever was there. He felt like he was under a microscope, everyone wondering when the master would crack. Kyoya was not going to give them that satisfaction.

He had to come home for lunch, however, it was a masochistic move, but he was hoping Haruhi would be there, he wanted to see her, so he could tell her they needed to take a break in person. Despite the pain she had put him through, in however short of a period of time it was, she deserved the face-to-face contact.

When he arrived home, and she wasn't there, it only cemented all his theories and convictions. It would be easier this way, being certain of everything.

"Master Kyoya, your wife is home." One of the maids, he never bothered to learn their names, much to Haruhi's dismay, announced. He nodded, focusing on the plate of food that had long ago gone cold. He wasn't hungry. How could anyone be in this situation?

Haruhi consciously slowed down as she reached the dining room, all she really wanted to do was go in there and throw herself on her husband, screaming the happy news to anyone that could hear, but if there was someone else behind the door, that wouldn't do at all.

She opened the heavy dining room doors cautiously, peering inside as she did. Suddenly she was glad she hadn't gone with her original plan. Kyoya looked like a man defeated. Gone was the imposing air that always seemed to hang about him, he was slouched over a plate of food, but looked as though he had no idea it was there, let alone any intention of eating it. Haruhi padded over to his chair softly, he showed no sign of noticing her, and she began rubbing his shoulders, the way he had for her when they were still in high school.

At her touch, he tensed up, sitting straighter then could be comfortable, startling Haruhi, who quickly dropped her hands.

"Rough day?" She asked, taking the seat next to him, and propping her chin on her fist. She couldn't tell him now, not with him being so sullen. Although it could possibly cheer him up, she didn't want to risk botching up this announcement.

"How dare you?" He asked, and for once, Haruhi was actually scared by his glare. "They're all talking." He stood up with such force that his solid oak chair fell back from the table.

"If you were going to do this to my family," Haruhi didn't miss the 'my' instead of 'our' that he used, funny how a simple word could cause her so much pain, " you should be far more discreet about it." He began walking towards the door, never once actually looking Haruhi in the face.

"I'm going back to the office. Don't expect me back any time soon." The words stung, as if each letter was an acid tipped barb aimed directly at her stomach.

"Kyoya." She called out, grabbing his arm just before he left the room. The older man paused, not exactly stopping, but Haruhi could see her window to speak was closing as if a rock were tied to the sash.

"I thought you'd be excited about what I have to tell you." She said, he still wouldn't look at her, and it was making her a little angry.

"It'll be a huge difference." She continued, stopping only when Kyoya's eyes met her own for the first time in their conversation. She was swept up in the beauty his eyes provided, as she often was. Even when they looked as cold and hard as steel, she couldn't help but be enraptured.

"Well, I guess that's an interesting opinion, in it's own way." But the usually joking phrase was now filled with malice and loathing. She stopped short, stunned into silence. What was going on? She couldn't even try to stop him, only watching with a heavy heart at the sleek black car pulled out of the driveway, leaving her.

Kyoya had never been impulsive. Even when he and Haruhi were in the whirlwind days of their courtship, he always meticulously planned out each event days in advance. Haruhi couldn't imagine he'd do anything but actually go to work. The assuredness that thought brought was only a small comfort though. She knew he wouldn't end up dead, but she still didn't know if he'd come home.

What had even made him so angry in the first place? He was fine yesterday, and while he was protective, she had called, so he had no reason to freak out.

She was a grown woman, not a child. She didn't need to be treated like this.

Kyoya sighed, leaning back against the plush interior of his town car.

How could she do this to him? He thought they were doing well, they respected each other, and they had both adapted to the changes in their lifestyle.

She was unhappy. He had made her unhappy. He, Ootori Kyoya, had failed as a husband, and driven his wife to another man.

He had almost lost it, when she walked in. Kyoya had never gotten over how beautiful she was, and how lucky he had been to be her chosen companion. And there she stood in the doorway, practically lighting the room with her afterglow, and wearing the other man's shirt.

Maybe, if she wore her own clothes, they would have had half a chance.

* * *

So, everything happens for a reason, right?

Hey, (I've been whoring this out lately :P) I have a fanfiction formspring, if anyone cares enough to ask a question, you'll probably get an amusing answer. formspring. me/ 365Stories

xoxo

Belle


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone! I just thought you should know that thanks to your overwhelmingly positive acceptance of this story, it's in the process of being fleshed out, and re-edited (this was supposed to be the second to last chapter.)

I just wanted to say thank you, and let you all know that each and every one of you, wether you review or not, had a part in inspiring this story from here on out.

* * *

Kyoya didn't know if he could bear going back to the office. Usually working helped take his mind off whatever was causing him stress, It was calming, organized, reliable. Everything the real world wasn't. It was the only place he was completely in control.

But in his office was a professionally made spread of their wedding photos, not to mention all the other framed pictures of Haruhi, or the two of them together. Kyoya breathed deeply, trying to calm down. It would do no good for him to go in there angry. He dialed his secretary's number, and asked her to remove all photos from his office, hanging up before she was able to ask for any explanation. No one needed to know that he was separating from his wife until it was official, something that was already taking too long to complete.

Besides, Haruhi didn't need the to be maligned by the press, who already thought she was a gold digger.

That had been a point of major contention in their relationship. Haruhi had cancelled her paper delivery during their first month of dating, and by the fifth, she made it a point to avoid any sort of store, shop or stand that sold tabloids. That didn't stop the sleezeball reporters from following her, or showing up at her house during all hours of the day.

They had powered through that, so what made this different?

The unbidden thought of her just made his mood worse, though, by now he could care less. He arrived at the office building, a tall, though not entirely unique building covered entirely in black granite, and tinted glass.

"Good afternoon Sir." His secretary, Rina, greeted. She was the only one accustomed to Kyoya's moods, and she handled him accordingly, having worked with him since he was in high school.

"Afternoon." He returned curtly, He slammed the door to his office open, the bare walls giving him some measure of relief, while managing to twist the knife, proverbially speaking, by reminding him of what had been there. That seemed to be the phrase that described his life, everything _had been there, _but nothing remained. The door closed behind him on it's own accord, and he was alone again.

* * *

"You're doing what?" Suoh Tamaki cried out. For once, his reaction was not over dramatic. Kyoya didn't even know how he got to his old classmates house in the first place, or how many days he'd been there. It was only when Tamaki had asked about Haruhi that he seemed to come to consciousness, spilling the entire dramatic anecdote.

"I have to leave her, Tamaki." Kyoya slurred. Wether it was from exhaustion or the alcohol they had consumed, (socially, of course, Kyoya never considered himself a drinker.) he wouldn't know.

Tamaki, on the other hand was livid. If he sat down and thought about it, the fact that it was Kyoya's marriage falling apart didn't surprise him as much as the fact that it was Haruhi's fault. The girl he knew in high school wouldn't, in her wildest dreams, cheat on anyone she was in a relationship with, no matter how unhappy she was. And he'd talked to her fairly recently, she wasn't unhappy.

"Did she say she was seeing someone else?"Tamaki asked, for once the more logical half of the duo. Kyoya shook his head.

"She didn't have too, Tamaki, she came home wearing his shirt." Tamaki felt like he was looking at a stranger. This man, drunk, and two steps away from actually crying was such a far cry from the cool and collected vice president he knew in high school, and even farther from the steely, calculating, manipulative head of the Ootori corporation. In short, his best friend was an utterly devastated mess. This didn't sit well with Tamaki, real, emotional waste never did.

"Kyoya. Look at me." Tamaki was reluctantly met with bloodshot grey eyes. "You're going to go upstairs, shower, shave, and then I'm taking you home. You will talk this out with Haruhi, then, only in that moment, will you make this insane, irrational decision. Not before." Tamaki rose from the table, expecting Kyoya to follow suit. Instead, there was a thud, and the sound of a dropped glass. Tamaki looked over to see his friend passed out, face down on the table. He shook his head, weather the exhaustion had anything to do with it or not, Kyoya never could hold his liquor.

* * *

Haruhi went to class the next morning, tired, and feeling sicker then normal, the secret she hadn't told anyone, and the events of the past few days had left her stomach feeling like it was lined with lead. She had a hard time making it through the halls, and an even harder time making it through class. She was completely unable to focus on the issues being presented to her, because every little thing reminded her of Kyoya.

The shade of the girls hair in front of her, the color of the professor's tie, her lab partner's glasses.

All of it reminded her that Kyoya hadn't been home in over a week, and she was starting to think he had really left her.

She had overheard two of the laundresses gossiping about the whole thing, and it didn't take much for her to realize that Kyoya must have heard the same rumors.

The rumor that she was sleeping with a tasteless American movie star. Haruhi rolled her eyes, it was ridiculous. The idea was so beyond absurd, it almost beat out the time Tamaki and Kyoya convinced the entire Host Club to pretend to be girls.

It also didn't take much to realize the 'American movie star' was Kaoru. It was an honest mistake, and she knew Kyoya would understand if he let her explain.

But his phone had been off for the past five days, and he hadn't been into work since the weekend.

Haruhi had called the Ootori family police force, but they refused to do anything, saying they had heard from Kyoya himself, and they were given instructions not to alert her to his whereabouts. The knowlege that he was safe didn't make Haruhi feel any better though.

The day passed slowly, the minutes feeling like hours, so Haruhi was surprised when class let out, and she was able to go home.

She almost couldn't make herself get out of the car. The idea of coming home to an empty house was just that depressing.

'_You can do it_.' It wasn't even a half hearted cheer, she was outright lying to herself. But her feet moved, she didn't want to stay in the garage any longer. She hefted herself out of the car, the driver had learned long ago that Haruhi never accepted help.

She shuffled through the house, to the second floor library. That was where she set up camp lately. The narrowly placed stacks of books were less empty then the rest of the house, and the overstuffed leather chairs that sat, interspersed, throughout the room were more comfortable to sleep in then the huge, desolate bed in their cavernous bedroom. She hated the bedroom.

Now her days were filled with studying, nothing else. Phone calls had gone ignored, e-mails and texts un-answered, it was only at the insistence of the staff that she actually managed to eat and take car of herself.

Law was cold, emotionless. Law had no connection to her failure of a marriage, had no connection to her failure as a wife.

She'd read in in one of the armchairs until long after the sun had gone down, routinely falling asleep with the book in her hand.

Ootori Haruhi didn't know how else to cope.

* * *

With all that being said, I have a question to ask you, dear reader.

How do you flesh out chapters in your own stories? I read these stories that have multi-page long chapters in awe, and I was wondering, if you write like that, how do you do it? What do you focus on?

Let me know please, it would be very helpful.

XOXO

Belle


	5. Chapter 5

So, this is another filler chapter, but I think it's cute (and maybe ooc, I'll let you be the judge.)

* * *

Kyoya looked out at the sky as the town car drove through the quiet streets of the gated community he'd lived in his entire life.

It looked like it was going to rain. Kyoya smirked, remembering how whenever they had fought, Fuyumia would tell him he had thunderclouds for eyes. She always had enjoyed using flowery metaphors.

"You needn't worry, Ootori-san, there will be no rain tonight." Kyoya didn't know if he wanted to thank Tachibana for that information, or strangle him. Of course they thought he'd be worried about Haruhi, who still managed to be terrified of thunderstorms and nothing else.

He decided not responding at all would be the easiest route at the moment, so the car ride went on in silence until they arrived at the Ootori estate.

Kyoya sat in the car long after they arrived. Did he really want to go in there? Kyoya wasn't one to avoid confrontation, but he had a hard time admitting he was wrong, though he hoped desperately that he was wrong in this situation.

Finally, he knew if he stayed in the garage any longer, someone would come looking for him. So Kyoya opened the car door, and stepped out, walking into the the ornate, yet frigid grasp of the house he'd bought.

He climbed the stairs, exhausted by the mere effort it took, and stumbled down the hall towards the master bedroom, dreading what was waiting for him there.

He paused, the soft glow of a reading light from the third library catching him off guard. Surely no one was up this late. Kyoya sighed in frustration, wondering why he employed a staff of fifty if not a single one of them could make sure the lights were turned off at two a.m.

Kyoya pushed the door open, knowing that he'd never be able to sleep if that light stayed on, and froze.

Haruhi was asleep in the chair directly in front of him. He was struck by just how small she looked, how delicate and tiny she actually was.

She hadn't changed hardly at all since their days at Ouran, right down to the short, choppy haircut. Although now, that was taken care of by real stylists, not fourteen year old girls with kitchen shears. Kyoya smiled, in spite of himself, as he remembered the days in the Host Club.

Wether it was the reminiscing, or simply the fact that it was late, Kyoya came to the conclusion that, fight be damned, it was unacceptable for Haruhi to be sleeping on a chair in the library. He turned the light off, and gathered Haruhi up in his arms. Her head rested on his chest, and she managed to grab a handful of his shirt, clutching it rather tightly for a sleeping woman.

She murmured something that sounded like 'don't leave,' and for a moment, Kyoya wanted to believe she was talking to him. But he wasn't going to delude himself into thinking that sleep talking meant anything.

Kyoya nudged the bedroom door open with his foot, and walked over to the bed. Somehow, he managed to turn down the blankets without disturbing the woman in his arms, before setting her down, and pulling the blanket back over her. He turned towards the door, to make his way to a guest room for the night, but he paused as soon as he reached it. What the hell, it was his room too, and he didn't have the will power to find another room.

He climbed into bed, and the feeling of normalcy threw him off guard. It was so easy to slide between the sheets and lay next to Haruhi. He wanted to roll over, and pull her towards him, but fear held him back. Instead, he found he was content to simply lay in the same bed for the time being.

* * *

Haruhi woke the next morning, more comfortable then she remembered being the night before. She kept her eyes closed, knowing that when she opened them, and took in the library around her, the aches that came from sleeping in a chair would come back with a vengeance.

Far too soon, Haruhi became bored with trying to go back to sleep, and she did open her eyes. Sunlight streamed in through the window, it hit the lace curtains and tossed dappled shadows on the barely yellow walls, and white furniture.

She sat up in alarm. Haruhi knew for a fact that she had fallen asleep in the library the night before. Had she sleepwalked? She knew, in moments of extreme stress, she had spoken aloud while unconscious, but never before had she woken up in a completely different room, with no conceivable way to get there. Haruhi looked around for the reason she had moved, before her eyes fell on the rumpled bedding on the left half of the bed. Kyoya's side.

The realizations hit Haruhi in waves. Kyoya had come home. He had moved her from the library to their bedroom. He had stayed with her.

But he had also taken careful measures to be gone when she woke up. Haruhi concentrated on breathing. It would do her no good to waste time crying over someone that wasn't there. Instead, she threw on her robe, and headed down to the kitchen for coffee.

Kyoya had wanted to be long gone by now. He knew that always running away was the cowards way out, but he still couldn't think of what to say to Haruhi, how to handle what was now less of a surprise, and more of a nightmare.

Sometimes, he wished his life hadn't always been so rigid, like one of those picture puzzles. He could manipulate the squares of his life within the tiny plastic frame, but once the frame was gone, Kyoya was at a loss.

He had stopped to look at the mail that had piled up in his absence, and he was drawn particularly to an invitation from the Hitachiin brothers. As far as he knew, only one of them, Hikaru, was still in the country. But laying in front of him was an invitation to their annual spring garden party, a party that very closely resembled the 'flower viewing' party the club used to hold.

Not only was it a chance to meet up with the rest of the host club's alumni, but it was a rather profitable business excursion as well. The Ootoris had never missed it.

Soft footsteps drew Kyoya's attentions from the invitation, and towards the doorway. He watched silently, as a still nightgown-clad Haruhi made her way down the hall towards him.

Suddenly, Kyoya's brain went into overdrive. What should he say. Should he even say anything? He had to say something, she was right there! But what could he say that wouldn't cause more problems?

"Good morning, Haruhi." She froze, like a mouse, trapped by the terrifying, hypnotizing gaze of a snake ready to strike. His tone was kept carefully cool, he tried not to inflect anything with his words but their textbook definition.

"Good morning." She replied, and her cold, lifeless tone mirrored his own. She wouldn't even look at him. Was this what a mere week had done to them?

"An invitation to the Hitachiin's party arrived quite a while ago. I'm surprised you haven't been keeping up with the mail." Haruhi turned to glare at Kyoya, it was his fault as much as it was hers that their mail had been neglected.

"I don't want to go." Haruhi said, sounding like a stubborn child. She reached for the pot of coffee at the edge of the table, and poured herself a cup.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. I'll be back later to pick you up. Look presentable, please."

Kyoya picked up the pre-prepared briefcase, and walked out of the room without another word.

Leaving her like that killed him. It seemed like now they were just fighting so they wouldn't have face the awkwardness of admitting they had made a mistake. Kyoya wasn't even sure what that mistake was anymore.

Haruhi stared into her coffee cup, swirling the dark brown liquid around, before setting the cup back down on the table. She wasn't really supposed to have coffee anyways, the caffeine was bad for the baby. Instead, she focused on the package on the table with her name across the front. She ripped the top open, and pulled out it's contents. It was the dress she had seen at the Hitachiin house, the silky red and white polka dot material slipped easily through her fingers as she placed it back into the box to take up to her room before leaving for school.

* * *

So, when I first came up with this idea, Kyoya wanted to be gone by the time Haruhi was up. I'm glad he stayed though, aren't you?

So, I don't know if any of you care, but I've based Kyoya and Haruhi's fight and behaviors off the fight Rhett and Scarlett have in Gone with the Wind. This was a latent realization, but I found it kind of amusing.

Let me know what you think!

XOXO

Belle


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry this took so long! I just couldn't seem to get the words on paper this time... oh well, now you have this, the sixth chapter. On my outline, this was supposed to be just the first event of chapter six, but it stretched out so long, and I felt so bad about not updating, I decided to post it on it's own.

So, usually I don't do this, but here's the link to Haruhi's party dress. It's just so cute.

amazon .com/Rockabilly-Halter-Holiday-Cocktail-Sundress /dp/ B0019ALV7G

Enjoy!

* * *

Ootori Haruhi looked at herself in the mirror. It had taken three and a half hours, two hairdressers and a make-up artist to create the woman looking back at her. A woman she only vaguely recognized, though they met every time she had to attend a party.

Though she had been through the process of getting ready for formal events more times then she could count offhand, the results of all the fussing always caught her off guard. She couldn't never equate the elegant woman in the mirror with the harried law student she was so used to.

The Haruhi in the mirror looked like she belonged in the world of million dollar business deals, and parties where the budget for decorations alone swallowed the entire budget she had grown up on. A world of underhanded dealings, and two facedness. The Haruhi in the mirror deserved all of it. She fit.

The real Haruhi didn't. The real Haruhi felt out of place, judged, even though she'd been a part of their society for a decade. She'd been out of place at her engagement party, treated more like a prop then one of the guests of honor. It had been the same at their wedding. Stand still, look pretty. That was what she had been expected to follow.

Haruhi grabbed the sweater that had been shipped with the dress. It was flimsy, and she doubted it would really help if she were actually cold, but Hikaru took the time to include it, so she figured she should take it anyways.

The drive to the party was long, and sitting in the limo, alone with the brief flashes of street lamps only source of light made it seem like she was in her own little world. Time, and the drama of society, of life couldn't touch her here. Haruhi smoothed the red and white satin polka dot fabric of her dress over her leg, and watched the landscape whirl by in a blur.

She'd almost rather fight rabid wolves then get out of the car alone. She couldn't help but feel nervous, even though she had no reason to be. She alternated between rolling the hem of her dress between her fingers, and clutching her tiny black bag with nervous anticipation.

What would the other guests say if she showed up alone? She didn't think any one else knew of her problems yet, but people would certainly start talking when she showed up alone. No one showed up alone to these if they could help it.

The car slowly rolled to a stop, jerking Haruhi out of her thoughts. She couldn't fathom why they were stopping, unless it was simply to wear on her already frayed nerves even more. She wanted to just get this night over with.

Haruhi looked out the window in annoyance, staring at the dark lawn across the street. The door opened, and Haruhi gasped when she heard someone climb in with her.

Were they being held up? Haruhi tried to go through all the headlines in the latest paper, as she began to call out to the driver, to anyone. She didn't want to die!

"It's just me. You don't need to panic." The irritatingly calm voice of Ootori Kyoya, her husband, made Haruhi grit her teeth. How could he do this to her? Didn't he realize how much his unannounced comings and goings affected her?

"You're going through an awful lot of trouble to avoid me." Haruhi grumbled, refusing to look at her new companion.

"I had a business meeting that ran late. This isn't the first time you've come to pick me up before a party. Now, let's not fight. Tonight's supposed to be fun, right?" She was almost persuaded by his soothing words, but she recognized the syrupy tone as one he used to make friends with potential business relations. He was still upset with her.

Why he chose to go through this petty, playground style fighting, Haruhi hadn't a clue. It would have been so much easier for them to just talk about whatever was bothering him. For her to explain that the rumor he had heard was a load of bull.

She'd do it now, if she hadn't made that damn promise to Kaoru. Why was it so important that she stick to her word now? Certainly the younger Hitachiin wouldn't mind that she told, if he knew it may be the only thing to save her marriage, he would probably insist on it. But she just couldn't do it.

The rest of the ride went on in an uncomfortable silence. Though Haruhi was too stubborn to turn and acknowledge him, she found that if she looked out of the corner of her eye, she could see his dark outline in the window, and it comforted her, to know he was there.

* * *

After what had seemed like an eternity, they arrived at the Hitachiin mansion. As soon as the car glided to a stop, Kyoya opened the door and stepped out, offering a helpful hand to Haruhi. She looked up at him, the shadows of the car parting only enough so he could see her face, and stepped out on her own. Kyoya was slightly shocked, she had purposefully ignored him.

"Well," she asked, turning to face him, "are you coming? Or would you rather spend your evening with the car?" Kyoya might have smirked at what Haruhi considered an insult, but he was far to distracted by how she looked to care what she was saying.

"I thought you were going to look presentable." He asked, looking over her dress one more time. It had to be new. He was sure he would have remembered it. The red satin dress clung to her like a second skin, a complete juxtaposition to the sundress cut of the garment.

He must have been blind when he thought she hadn't changed since high school. She filled out this dress better then high school Haruhi ever could.

"The dress came with the invitation. It would have been rude not to wear it." Haruhi started walking towards the doorway without another word, but Kyoya noticed that she did shrug the black cardigan over her shoulders on the way up.

Kyoya followed her, shaking his head. He couldn't shake the feeling that something simply wasn't right.

* * *

Also, as a present to those of you still reading, I present this

youtube .com /watch?v=l9W75J0Fsfk

I've been dabbling in video making, and since this story was inspired by the song Fall To Pieces, I decided to make a trailer set to that song.

It's not the best. It's only my second video ever and it only took a few hours, but if you want to check it out it'd make me very happy!

Let me know what you like/didn't like, think/predict/feel!

XOXO

Belle


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys! It's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm sorry, I really don't have an excuse (again...)

But this chapter is twice as long as all the other ones, so that's good, right?

* * *

In a way, the party was not nearly as bad as Haruhi had expected.

She had taken approximately two steps into the house before she was attacked by a blond bullet.

Mitzkuni Haninozuka hit a growth spurt his first year of collage, propelling the petite boy to his current height of five seven. He was still, however, dwarfed by his cousin.

Despite their greatly varying fields of study, the two were still as inseparable as ever. Even now, as they were finding their places in the real world, starting up a business that was completely separate from their parents, they managed to be nearly the same people Haruhi had met in high school.

Though, thankfully, Honey had grown out of latching on to people as his way of saying hello.

"Ha-ruhi!" Honey dragged the first syllable of her name out, almost melodically, as he raced up and wrapped his arms around her. This time, she was the one off the ground and spinning around.

"Honey, it's so good to see you!" Haruhi gushed, almost giddy with relief at the promise that she wouldn't have to spend the entire evening listening to her husband fake being pleasant. The mere thought made her want to scream.

"Is something wrong, Haru-chan? You look..." Honey trailed off, not sure weather his friend looked sad, or angry. It was an equal combination of both emotions.

"I'm fine. Hello, Mori." She greeted her former classmate, trying to get the boy's attention onto another topic. She knew that her efforts would be fruitless in the long run, out of all her friends, Honey and Mori would be the two to pick up on her off behavior.

Haruhi was happy to sit and listen to Honey talk about the trivialities of starting a business. She didn't have to think to take a part in that conversation.

She didn't have to act like she was interested though, the starting up of a toy company was proving to be an intriguing process. She wasn't surprised at the way they had ended up. Maybe that's why she found her mind jumping from person to person, flitting about like a humming bird.

She glanced around the garden, taking in the people in their evening wear as they chatted about business and pleasure. Her gaze settled on a familiar blonde figure at the bar.

"Haruhi?" Honey asked, when he finally noticed her faraway gaze. His call snapped her back to the present, though she was still a little confused.

"Honey, is that Tamaki over there?" She asked, before thinking of the consequences. Usually there wouldn't be any, but her would was so topsy-turvy now she didn't know what to expect.

"Well what do you know? It is!" Honey turned to call out to their friend, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Please don't." Haruhi replied to his questioning look.

"Haruhi, is something wrong." Haruhi struggled to find the right words under her friend's concerned looks. She had never felt so out of control in her life. On one hand, it was her business to tell, it was practically all about her after all, but on the other hand, she didn't want to jeopardize anyone's reputation, and since she wasn't even really sure what was going on, she didn't want to make it worse by spreading around lies, as harmless as they may seem in theory.

Luckily, she was spared the awkward answer as the lights began to flash around the courtyard.

"Welcome, guests, to the Hitachiin Spring Gala!" The voice was blasted through the party by cleverly hidden speakers, and once every one's attention was focused on the announcement, the balcony doors burst open in a rain of glitter, flower petals, and streamers. It was almost like someone's toddler had been given the choice, and had chosen all of them. Haruhi couldn't help but think about how much of a mess it would be to clean up later.

Hikaru and Kaoru appeared through the haze, still as dashing, still equally identical. A murmur of surprise shot through the crowd, and Haruhi remembered that up until this very moment, she was the only one aware of Kaoru's return to the country. This must be the surprise he was talking about.

The twins continued to speak, much the same way they did at every party, and Haruhi found her gaze drawn back to the bar in distraction. This time, she found Tamaki staring back at her. His expression contained no joy, or excitement at seeing her again, something she automatically assumed would happen. Instead he just looked sad, as if she had done something to intentionally hurt him. That was impossible thought, she hadn't seen him in months.

Haruhi clapped, almost robotically, when the twins finished their speech, and made their way down an ornately decorated staircase. Music started wafting through the garden, and guests began to make their way to the pavilion for dancing.

It was a beautiful setting, Haruhi concluded from her seat at the table. She had no desire to move, let alone dance, and she was as content as she would ever get sitting at the table.

"Shall we dance?" The whisper that would have once made Haruhi melt in her seat now made her tense, and she turned to face Kyoya, to tell him that under no circumstances would she get up and dance with him tonight. But there was a dangerous edge to his expression, one Haruhi found herself unable to refuse. Instead, she let herself be led to the dance floor, and they whirled around mechanically, simply, though Kyoya was capable of doing far more.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" He asked pleasantly, throwing Haruhi off guard.

"I suppose." Was her curt reply. Why did he insist on talking? It only made things worse.

"Can we not?" Haruhi asked, before Kyoya could come up with another painfully trivial comment. "I don't know why you've even bothered with this."

"It's called keeping up appearances, or have you learned nothing in your years in the public eye." His voice was hard, the comment edged like a knife and aimed with perfect accuracy.

They danced in silence, ignoring the rest of the world, and ignoring each other, until the end of the set.

"Kyoya! Haruhi!" They turned to see who would interrupt them, and found the source of the beckoning standing on the edge of the dance floor, trying not to wave like an idiot.

"We should go." Haruhi said, happy to grab any excuse she could to get away from the situation. Kyoya nodded, and they left the dance floor.

"Kaoru, it's good to see you." It was the first time Kyoya sounded truly at ease in weeks.

"You too, you're both looking well. Haruhi, you look especially wonderful." Haruhi could feel her throat constrict, though she didn't really have a clue as to why his compliment would make her want to cry.

"Thank you," she murmured, "so this was your big plan?"

"Pretty much. It's a lot harder to shock people then it used to be." Kaoru shrugged. He had surprised his brother, so that was really all that mattered.

"Speaking of, ahem, surprises. Kyoya, has Haruhi mentioned hers? Congratulations, man, it's the start of a new life!" A heavy silence fell over the trio while they waited on Kyoya's reaction. His hands were clenched, the nails biting into the skin and leaving marks that he was sure wouldn't leave for a while.

"Kyoya, it's not what you think." Haruhi started. She figured now would be as good a time as any to debunk the rumors that were swirling around. But Kyoya turned away.

"I apologize, but I have to leave. I just remembered some work I need to finish." He managed not to growl, though inside he was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, and walked away. Kaoru and Haruhi stood, silent with shock as they watched his retreating figure.

"Haruhi, are you alright?" Kaoru asked, "you're white."

"Maybe we should go inside, she's shaking." Hikaru suggested. He put an arm around Haruhi's shoulders and lead her to the house.

Haruhi felt like she was moving underwater. Everything was fuzzy, and muffled. She knew where to walk, thanks to the guiding hand on her shoulder, and she knew her friends were following her, because there was an incessant hum featuring her name that seemed to follow her where ever she went.

"Is she okay?"

"What happened?"

"Where's Kyoya, shouldn't he be here?"

A glass of something was put in her hand, and she was set on a couch. It took a minute for her to come back to reality, where she was literally bombarded with questions.

"Haruhi?" Kaoru knelt in front of her with the most concerned look on his face, "what's going on with you? Why did Kyoya get so mad? Are you sick? For gods sake don't drink that!" The glass was wrenched from her hand before she could think, and Haruhi began to cry.

"Everything is terrible." She said, and wiped away the tears that were beginning to trail down her face. "Kyoya thinks I'm cheating on him, and he won't even look at me." Haruhi glanced around, and saw that her friends were all hovering around, waiting to see what they would be needed for.

"That's ridiculous, why would he think that?" Honey asked, as he leaned over the back of the couch.

"Because Kaoru came over, and security didn't recognize his car."

Tamaki, who had been lounging in the corner uncharacteristically, perked up at this statement. He'd come in late, after he tried to chase down Kyoya.

"So you're not cheating on him?" Tamaki asked, sauntering over to the group. Haruhi looked up, surprised. It was the first time he'd spoken to her this evening, and it wasn't what she had expected.

"Tamaki?" Haruhi turned to face her friend, but he was already across the room, on his phone.

"But, Kyoya knows you-" Kaoru trailed off as Haruhi burst into a fresh wave of tears, and shook her head violently, making her earrings jangle.

"It's okay, it's gonna be okay Haru-chan." Honey put a hand on her shoulder, and tried to comfort her.

"Haruhi, I'll take you home. Come on." Kaoru helped a still-crying Haruhi off the couch. "You'll be fine without me, right Hikaru?" Hikaru opened his mouth to protest, but Honey and Mori chimed in the affirmative before he could say anything.

The car ride was silent, both passengers content to listen to the hum of the motor.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Kaoru asked as they pulled up to the house. Haruhi looked at him, she didn't have to say anything, her expression clearly read that she had no choice at this point, she had to go in.

"I'll see you later." She muttered, opened the door and got out of the car.

Kaoru watched her walk up to the door and knock, he didn't leave until she was safely inside.

"Welcome home." Haruhi muttered sarcastically, and walked up the stairs.

* * *

So, let me know what you think? We're coming up on the end here, there's only two, three chapters left. But no worries! I already have another rather large project planned out, so you can be on the look out for that when this is done.

XOXO

Belle


	8. Chapter 8

Hey Guys, or, actually whoever's still out there. I wouldn't blame you for never looking this way again. I'm sorry for the wait, but I've had terrible writers block lately, and only just now got over it. I'm on winter recess from school, which means I'm not doing too much, which kills my creativity. But that's all just excuses, and no one needs those.

So, enjoy chapter eight.

* * *

The house was cold, though they poured money into the furnace to keep it from being so. Kyoya rolled his eyes and reset the nearest thermostat on his way to his office. His plan was to organize spreadsheets until he fell passed out. He'd turned off his phone as soon as he stepped out of the party. He didn't have the patience to deal with telephone calls, be they personal or corporate. It was better to send them to voicemail then to burn bridges in stress and anger.

The computer whirred to life, bathing his office in the sickly blueish led glow. His office was dark, the curtains had been closed and forgotten long ago, and he simply didn't feel like turning on the desk lamp. It didn't matter, he could type in his sleep if he so chose, the light wouldn't affect him.

Soon, Kyoya was lost in the electronic rigidity of filing. The mind numbing work, where there were no mistakes he couldn't fix quickly took over all his senses, and he lost himself in the hard drive.

* * *

Haruhi was surprised to find the front door unlocked. It hadn't looked like anyone was home, and for a moment, she wished Kaoru had stayed with her. But wishing had never brought her anything, so she grabbed the heaviest object within arms reach, and steeled herself for anything. She was Haruhi Fujioka, commoner. She used to walk two miles to and from school by herself, every day. She used to spend weeks on her own, she could handle whatever this night threw at her. Heaven knows she'd handled more in the last six hours then any sane woman deserved. All she wanted now was to go to sleep, and preferably, wake up in a world where stupid misunderstandings didn't happen. A world where she would know what she was getting herself into when she decided to marry above her. But wishing would get her nowhere.

Haruhi climbed the last flight of stairs, and pushed the bedroom door open. She walked straight to the closet and pulled out a nightgown, ignoring the part of her that curled up in agony from simply being in _their_ bedroom, from being able to smell him, or at least, what lingered on the clothing hanging on the other rack in the closet.

She was Haruhi Fujioka. She was stronger then that.

Haruhi threw the red satin dress in the hamper, hoping it would be gone forever when she woke up, and walked into the bathroom to wash her face. She'd never really gotten over how gross make-up felt after it had been on for a while, no matter how many times she'd had to wear it. Once the make-up and contacts were gone, and most of the product had been brushed out of her hair, Haruhi climbed into bed, and buried herself under the blankets.

* * *

The first time his computer cried, Kyoya brushed it off as sleep depravation. Stranger things had happened when he was sleep deprived, and one minor abnormality was not going to make him stop.

Then it happened again, and again, until finally, he couldn't take the crying anymore. Kyoya jerked awake, though it took him a moment to register that his eyes were actually open in the pitch black office. His computer had gone to sleep hours ago, probably right after he had. Kyoya didn't see any reason to turn it on again, instead, he wondered what had woken him up.

It didn't take very long to figure out. A large, long crack of thunder alerted him to what sounded like a very violent thunderstorm happening right outside. But it was the next sound that jerked him into action. It was a base, instinctual reaction, because Kyoya was halfway up a flight of stairs before he even realized that what had caused his blind reaction were Haruhi's terrified screams.

His step faltered. Would she even want him to comfort her, or would she reject him the minute he stepped foot in the same room as her.

Another thunderclap tore through the night, and Kyoya was spurred into action again. She was his wife, and he'd been acting like a damned fool lately. Comforting her was the least he could do, and if she wanted to turn him out, she deserved that satisfaction.

He'd been a fool. The knowledge hit him like a wall. Why it had taken him so long to come to that conclusion, he'd never know, but it spurred a deeper desire to make everything up to Haruhi and pushed him towards her even faster.

It was obvious that the sounds were coming from the master bedroom at the end of the hall. A hall that seemed to grow longer, the farther he ran, like some nightmarish hallucination. But he managed to grab the doorknob, which brought reality back into focus, and he stepped into the bedroom.

He stepped inside, tentatively, and looked around. The bed was in shambles, and the couch they'd never managed to get rid of was laying on it's side. Kyoya didn't even wonder why it looked like a tornado had gone through the room, instead, he'd zeroed in on the trembling pile of comforter in the corner.

He approached with the caution one uses when walking towards an unfamiliar dog, ready both for an attack, or acceptance, and hoping for the latter.

He gently pulled the blanket away from Haruhi. Her bright, glassy eyes met his for a moment, before she burst into a fresh wave of tears. Kyoya reached out, rejection be damned, and pulled her towards him. He was surprised when she latched on to him, burying her face in his chest.

"Make it stop." She whimpered, sounding so utterly helpless. Kyoya put his hand over the ear that was not pressed to his chest, as yet another clap of thunder echoed through the house, causing Haruhi to shake, and grope for their discarded blanket. She managed to pull the blanket up over both of them, with some shifting, and a little help on Kyoya's part. Haruhi's breathing seemed to even out once they were inside their little tent.

Kyoya was quite taken with how Haruhi seemed to murmur his name with every other breath.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long they sat there, he only knew that Haruhi had fallen asleep, and that it was still dark when the storm passed. Kyoya managed to disentangle themselves from the blanket, and stood without jostling Haruhi too much before making his way to the bed. He set his wife down, and pulled the sheet up to cover her. When he tried to stand up, however, he found that she had kept her grasp on his shirt front.

"Don't leave." She said groggily, not even half awake. Kyoya couldn't help but chuckle at how childish she seemed, though it wasn't a bad thing. The half lucid devotion she had displayed was just the sort of confidence boost he needed to stay.

"I won't." He whispered back, not even sure if she could hear him, before he untangled his shirt from her grasp, and moved to pick up the blanket off the floor, and spread it over the bed. Kyoya quickly changed out of his clothes, and into his own pajamas, before he climbed into bed and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

I don't think this story has too many chapters left in it, but no worries, iI have another story that's been cooking up in my drafts folder, so if you like this, you won't have to wait too long for another story.

On another note, I'm changing my pen name, because it's a lie, as I'm not a blonde, and honestly, haven't been one for a few months now. But just look for the Belle, because that'll stay the same.

Let me know what you think of this chapter!

XOXO

Belle


	9. Chapter 9

The sunlight coming through the white curtains was weak, and grayish storm clouds still littered the sky. They were not ominous though, they were more like a blanket, making those who did not really mind the weather feel cozy in their homes. The textbook definition was 'sitting by the fireplace weather' though it was far too late in the spring for this to be a regular occurrence.

None the less, the watery grey sunshine was enough to wake Haruhi, who blinked sleepily and rolled over to get the light out of her eyes. She was unused to sleeping in the bed still, and the mattress felt nicer then she remembered. (Although, sleeping on a park bench might feel nicer then expected, after spending two and a half weeks in a chair in the library. But Haruhi was too tired to make comparisons.) It was also a lot warmer then she remembered. Almost too warm. Why was the bed so warm? Haruhi's eyes flew open in a panic, she didn't know what she expected, she only knew her expectations were not good. It took a minute for the blind panic to clear from her eyes, and for her to see that the reason her bed was so warm was not because the room was on fire, or because the electric blanket had malfunctioned, but because Kyoya was fast asleep next to her, hair in his eyes and a hand that, in sleep, reached out towards her.

The normalcy of the situation was really weirding Haruhi out.

Despite, or perhaps because of her husband's presence, Haruhi had a difficult time falling back asleep. She tried not to move too much, though Kyoya was anything but a light sleeper, Haruhi wanted to make sure he was not disturbed. After all, who knew where, or how often he'd actually slept in the past couple weeks. She wasn't going to be the one to wake him up after such an exhausting period.

Haruhi quietly got out of bed after she realized sleep was an impossible goal, and pulled on a robe she'd tossed on the floor who-knows-how long ago. Compared to the bed, the room was nearly freezing.

Haruhi really had no desire to go downstairs for breakfast, she wasn't really hungry, and she was certain that none of the staff wanted to make two meals if Kyoya decided to eat later.

Instead, she turned off the alarm clock, and walked over to the tiny sitting area they had in the corner, where the most important of her law books sat perched on a shelf. Her personal life may have stopped, but her studies had not, and what better way to spend a silent Saturday morning then catching up on missed homework? Haruhi picked up the book for her criminal law course, propped her feet up on the overturned couch (had the storm last night been that bad? She couldn't remember) and began pegging away at the six chapters that were due by Monday.

She was partially through the last chapter, when she heard the bed creak. Suddenly, Haruhi felt nervous. What if she had misunderstood, what if whatever happened last night was a mistake? If Kyoya really wasn't ready to make up, and there hadn't been any sort of peace offering?

'_Oh no,_' Haruhi's thoughts raced, '_what if he came home to divorce me, and that pathetic display last night only cemented his feelings?_' But it was too late to do anything, as Haruhi could hear footsteps coming towards her armchair.

"Good morning." Haruhi greeted, a little apprehensively.

"Good morning, Haruhi." Kyoya responded, before he picked the couch back up and set it on it's feet. "How did you manage to do this?" He asked, sprawling out over the couch. He didn't sound mad, but something about how casually he had approached the conversation put Haruhi on edge.

She had no idea how hard it was for Kyoya to simply sit there across from her.

"Well, I uh... The comforter caught the armrest, and I kind of pulled it over." Haruhi said, wondering why that was the first thing Kyoya could think to ask. It was almost as bad as-

"How's school?" Well, as that. Haruhi wondered if Kyoya could see the annoyance that felt like it was rolling off her in waves.

"How's work?" She shot back sarcastically, and immediately regretted it. As far as she knew, Kyoya wasn't trying to be annoying. In fact, if the disappointment that had flashed across his face meant anything, he was trying to be the exact opposite.

"Kyoya, I'm sorry." Haruhi said, as she set her book down on the table, and stood up. "Can we go downstairs and get breakfast? I think we have a lot to talk about." Kyoya nodded in agreement, though he seemed almost as apprehensive as Haruhi felt.

They walked down to the dining room, almost arms distance from each other, each of them scared to close the gap, though they both desperately wanted to.

They arrived at the dining room, and Haruhi poked her head into the kitchen to tell the staff they were ready for breakfast. Someone practically followed her to the table with a cup of coffee, and a cup of water with a small container of pills. The coffee was promptly set in front of Kyoya, and the water and pills were set in front of Haruhi, the maid took far longer to exit the room, hoping to see what was about to take place.

"Haruhi, don't you-" Kyoya began to ask, noticing that there was no coffee for Haruhi. But she cut him off, and waved the maid away.

"Kyoya," Haruhi began, "what happened to us?" It was in that moment, that Kyoya realized Haruhi had been hurting just as much, if not more then he had. He had been trained for years to shut down in the event of a betrayal, but Haruhi, she wasn't taught to do that. She left her heart open, and now every bit of hurt she had gone through, both inflicted by him and herself, was apparent in her voice and on her face.

What had happened to them? It was something Kyoya was having a terrible time putting into words.

"I guess..." he pondered, there was no right way to mention he though Haruhi was cheating, so he went with the softest, probably vaguest version of the truth he could think of. "I listened to the staff's gossip."

"You mean?" Haruhi couldn't bring herself to finish her question, but they both knew what she was referring to. "And you didn't even think to ask me about it?"

Now that she mentioned it, Kyoya wondered why that hadn't been his first reaction. It certainly would have saved him a lot of trouble, and asking from the beginning would have kept Haruhi from looking a shocked and hurt as she did now.

"Kyoya," Haruhi's timid tone jerked Kyoya out of his thoughts, "you really thought I would do that to you? " Haruhi didn't know how to react to this, she felt like she was floating in a bubble, separated from the world by the thinnest of shields, but trapped, rather then protected.

"Well, when you put it that way-" Kyoya began, feeling a little flustered. He wasn't used to having his mistakes pointed out.

"When I reiterate what happened?" Haruhi asked, her voice escalating. "I—I just. Kyoya!" she stuttered. Haruhi couldn't believe her ears. What happened to promising to be faithful in sickness and in health, to love and respect each other until death do they part?

"Haruhi, what was I supposed to think?" Kyoya could feel his reasoning drain. "You go out with someone no one recognizes, and don't come home until the middle of the next day?" Haruhi opened her mouth to protest, Kyoya didn't have to know all her friends, although in this situation, that was an irrelevant point. "And then you just waltz in here, in mens clothes, glowing." Kyoya gripped the coffee cup harshly. It was an anchor to the world, a lifesaver in the tumultuous sea he'd created for himself.

"Haruhi, you're beautiful, but you don't glow unless..." he trailed off. "What was I supposed to think?"

Haruhi's breath hitched in her chest, and she could feel her throat tighten. He honestly and truly believed what he was saying.

"When have I- have I ever given you reason to think something like that?" She could feel the corners of her eyes prickling with tears, but she was determined not to let them fall. Instead, she stood so forcefully her chair flew backwards, before toppling to the ground, and she headed for the door. "Maybe you're on to something Kyoya. Maybe this just won't work out." she shot sarcastically.

Haruhi was a mere foot from the door when Kyoya grabbed her arm, and pulled her back towards the table.

"No, we're here. We're going to talk this out. Sit down." Haruhi shrugged out of his grasp, but walked back to the table. "Tell me what happened."

"Fine," Haruhi huffed as she sat down, "but no questions until the end."

"Fair." Kyoya took his seat across from her.

"Right after you left for work, Kaoru called and wanted to hang out..." Haruhi told Kyoya everything. About how the gatemen didn't recognize the Hitachiin car, about how she wasn't supposed to tell anyone he was back.

"He ended up making me see a doctor." Haruhi paused, downright scared of telling Kyoya the next part of the story.

"Go on." Kyoya prompted, tentatively reaching across the table to take Haruhi's hand. "What ever is wrong can be fixed."

"Kyoya, the doctor told me I'm pregnant." Haruhi whimpered, and stared at the table. She used to expect a positive reaction to that statement, but now, now she didn't know what to expect.

"Haruhi, are you serious?" Kyoya's voice sounded thick, and Haruhi peered up through her bangs to try to gauge his reaction. He didn't look angry, so she nodded.

Kyoya was speechless. That was what had caused all this drama? Haruhi was pregnant?

"You're sure?" She nodded again. "So that's why- with the coffee, and the drinks—the pills?" Kyoya was having a hard time wrapping his mind around this new information.

"Yes. No caffeine, no alcohol. Prenatal vitamins." Haruhi looked up, making eye contact for the first time since she began her story. "Kyoya, you're not mad, right?"

"Mad?" Kyoya asked incredulously, as he stood up and pulled Haruhi out of her chair to him. "I'm not mad, Haruhi, this is wonderful!" Haruhi laughed nervously. This was the reaction she had expected, but she was still reeling from the fight. Gradually, she realized Kyoya was laughing with her. There they stood in the dining room wrapped up in each other, giggling like fools in happiness and relief.

"Haruhi, I love you." Kyoya whispered. Haruhi smiled, and whispered back,

"I love you too, Kyoya." before she tiptoed up and kissed him.

"Haruhi," Kyoya breathed, when they finally stopped, "how were you planning on telling the others?" Kyoya couldn't help the completely uncharacteristic grin that fought it's way across his face when he saw Haruhi's eyes widen in terror at the prospect.

"Well," She thought for a moment, "how were you planning on telling them you knocked me up?"

Everything was going to be alright. At least, for a while.

* * *

And that's the end of it. I might post an epilogue, but I'm not sure when that will be written.

Thank you all so much for following along, for putting up with sporadic updates and short chapters, and generally just being amazing readers.

I'll have another story out soon, and I'll let you all know when it goes up.

Again, thank you so very much!

XOXO

Belle


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